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Erick Erickson: “moving on from Sarah Palin is like leaving Scientology” (Erick, grow up!)
Legal Insurrection ^ | 9/7/2011 | William Jacobson

Posted on 09/07/2011 10:18:27 AM PDT by Lakeshark

I guess that makes me a Scientologist, because I’ve posted repeatedly that Palin holds a special position because there is no one — not even George W. Bush — who has been the subject of the Democratic, mainstream media and left-blogosphere smear machine to the extent Palin has.

So yes, I do take it personally when conservatives lash out at Palin not because of her policy positions or what she’s done or not done in her career, but with personal invective.

It’s not religion, its a cold hard understanding of what is to come, and how those who call Palin a diva or a tease or any of the other names coming from media conservatives do damage to us all. Palin is simply the test case for how the Republican nominee, whoever that person may be, will be treated, and we pile on her at our own peril.
**snip**
Simply by waiting to announce, Palin has driven media conservatives mad. It all seems so familiar.

(Excerpt) Read more at legalinsurrection.com ...


TOPICS: Editorial; Extended News; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: cantwinmeme; cultists; erickerickson; fansarecrazymeme; gopinsanity; memebots; notrunning; palin; palin2012; palinpredictions; palinpunditry; pds; roseyruizmeme; runsarahrun; sarahpalin; savusosarah; scientology; smellthefear; toolatememe; waronsarah
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To: Lazlo in PA
Hey, it's a great blog, and has been one of the best conservative blogs for over a year now. The guy has been great to read.

He also isn't saying she is above criticism, he never claims that. What he's saying is that Erickson's criticism isn't legitimate, and it seems you agree with that idea.

Peggy Noonan's absurd support for Bambi is a fairly close equivalent to what Erickson's blog post said. It was intellectual dishonesty or garbage, or both.

81 posted on 09/07/2011 11:15:20 AM PDT by Lakeshark
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To: kevkrom

“I had my own predictions, of course, that turned out not to be true,”

Exactly the point - you thought something would happen.
That’s a media playbook. Create anticipation. Reality: Nice speech she gave, no more there than was in her April madison speech. Palin has gone celeb, made $12 million, yet doesnt have the infrastructure for a real campaign. It ought to tell you something.

Last week or two, I’ve been trying to tell folks what I think is going on, that they are being strung along and it wont end well, but I’ve had flak from the Palin fans who don’t want to be told Palin’s not perfection with some brilliant secret plan.

I had an epiphany: I don’t care. Palin will make her decision on her time. Fine. If folks want to believe that it will end well (it wont), I’ll try to resist bursting the bubble they live in. I and many others have already moved on.


82 posted on 09/07/2011 11:15:41 AM PDT by WOSG (Cut the spending! Perry/Rubio 2012)
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To: Lakeshark

Palin is using her platform to put out ideas rather than to ultimately run for president, which is fine, but on the subject of Erickson, he’s a soft conservative at best. He started a more-or-less conservative Georgia blogsite, PeachPundit, and when his responsibilities increased he “gave” the site to a RINO Democrat apologist.


83 posted on 09/07/2011 11:15:59 AM PDT by Carismar
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To: kevkrom
To all those who insist that the Governor's motive is merely to boost her personal media profile in order to make more money, THIS bears repeating:

the idea that she's just building "Brand Palin" doesn't wash, because building up all the expectations and dashing them would basically destroy the "brand".

84 posted on 09/07/2011 11:16:10 AM PDT by LaybackLenny (All hail Her Royal Highness Sarah, Queen of The Hobbits)
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To: Lady Lucky
"So, if she’s decided to run... WHY delay.

See above. She may be waiting to see. Maybe Perry will emerge as a great candidate. His blossom of support the last few weeks is mostly of the ephemeral "new face" variety. Does he have staying power? Does he have election-killing junk in his closet? I'm in Colorado, where we lost the governorship last November in what should have been a cakewalk solely because we had unvetted candidates in our primary.

The spotlight needs to be on Perry. Can he take the heat? I don't want to find out in April that he's a loser and has plagiarism issues and secret bimbos and a fabricated resume. If Sarah stays out, the vetting process will be more serious.

85 posted on 09/07/2011 11:19:25 AM PDT by cookcounty ("I love loving him," --brilliant Matha's Vinyud liberal explaining her support for Obama)
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To: hocndoc
Heh.

I kind of hoped you would take it like that.....

It's called illustrating the absurd by being absurd. Perry supporters should never have gone there in the first place, and it is fun tweaking them with their own memes for another candidate's supporters.

86 posted on 09/07/2011 11:20:15 AM PDT by Lakeshark
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To: newfreep

Thank you very much for posting the link. I would have otherwise missed his column. I’ve been wishing all along for Sarah Palin to participate in the debates, but I fully understand that once she enters, *all the vetting* of the front runner stops and IMO, (and I’m not alone) he needs a lot of vetting, just like everyone else has received. He’s a virtual unknown nationally.


87 posted on 09/07/2011 11:20:48 AM PDT by onyx (You're here on FR, so support it! If you support SARAH PALIN & want on her ping list, let me know!)
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To: Brookhaven
Wow, Erick nails it! I, too, had my own road regarding Sarah. When she gave her speech at the 2008 convention, I was electrified! Then, as I saw her doing interviews and some of her missteps, I though perhaps she was a little green, but after all, she was the VP candidate - she could grow into the job. I still liked what she said and what she stood for.

After the election, I still supported Sarah as a person and as a future presidential candidate. I figured that by 2012, she would have been re-elected as governor and would have had 6 years of executive experience to build a presidential run around.

Then the ethics charges started. They were untrue and unfair, and so Sarah stepped down rather than bankrupt herself and her family. I understood, but I was disappointed that she would not get the experience she needed to be ready to run in 2012.

Then Sarah seemed to go the celebrity route. She had her reality TV show, her Fox News gig, her Facebook page, her books. I had no problem with any of that - I bought "Going Rogue" as soon as it came out, and I signed up with her Facebook page. Based on her actions, I assumed she was going to take the Reagan path - spend her time working for the party, fully develop her political philosophy, and find some way to add to her resume - run for the Senate, serve in a cabinet post, something like that. Then, after a few more years, she would be ready to try again. Remember that Reagan waited 8 years after his first attempt to try running for the presidency again - during that time, he served 6 more years as governor.

When it became clear that Sarah was seriously considering a run this time around, I began to back off. This was long before Perry was in the race, and I wasn't sure who I would support (just not Huntsman, Paul or Romney). I don't think she has a broad enough base of support, her negatives are still too high, and I don't think she has enough experience for the job. Until recently, my attitude was that I would support her if she got the nomination, but I didn't think she could make it that far.

But then came my experience with the Palinistas. These are the people like Brices, Diogenesis, South40, Red South, et al. They go around to every thread about another candidate just to trash that candidate, and they threaten to have a poster banned if they dare come onto a Palin thread and say anything negative about her. They truly behave in a cultish fashion. They can't just support their candidate and try to persuade you why she would be the right choice - they try to destroy any opposing candidates and any of their supporters. Instead of broadening Palin's appeal, they are chasing away the very people they would need to support her if she won the nomination.

So, sadly, I have now gone from the point where, while I didn't think Sarah was the best choice this cycle and I didn't think she could win, but I would support her if she got the nomination; to where I will actively oppose her nomination, and if she wins the nomination I will sit the election out. And it is because I don't want her supporters anywhere near the levers of power. If this is the type of supporter she inspires, then that says a lot of negative things about her candidacy as well.

88 posted on 09/07/2011 11:21:16 AM PDT by CA Conservative (Texan by birth, Californian by circumstance)
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To: upsdriver; Mike10542

“I love Palin, but her indecision is bothering me a lot too and trust me I am the furthest thing from a liberal.”
“What indecision?”

She was the VP pick in 2008, its been a question for 3 years now.

If Palin - having been running around giving speeches in Iowa and NH and elsewhere for a long time - having it on her plate for years - can’t decide whether she is ready to be President, then she is not the kind of decisive leader we need as President.

If she has decided to run but decided not to tell people, even when given keynote platforms for speeches in Iowa, then that is whacked. There’s a reasonable limit to coyness.

“She’s also decided, a long time ago, the date she will officially enter the race.”
And that date is?


89 posted on 09/07/2011 11:22:26 AM PDT by WOSG (Cut the spending! Perry/Rubio 2012)
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To: Lady Lucky

“The question is, WHY is Gov. Palin waiting “till some time in September?” Nobody seems to be able to supply a good reason for that. (”Not decided yet” is a very poor reason.) But good reasons to wait, if she’s already decided not to run, they’re easy.”
“So, if she’s decided to run... WHY delay.”

Exactly. Which is why many of us think she wont be a candidate (a good decision IMHO) but is being coy as a way of maintaining her public profile and media attention.


90 posted on 09/07/2011 11:24:22 AM PDT by WOSG (Cut the spending! Perry/Rubio 2012)
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To: gov_bean_ counter

The ‘exam’ is what you get when you are a frontrunner. You could tell Obama was scare of Perry when his team started attacking him.

Any GOP frontrunner conservative will get the ‘treatment’. Gotta wear it with honor.


91 posted on 09/07/2011 11:26:14 AM PDT by WOSG (Cut the spending! Perry/Rubio 2012)
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To: newfreep
"“Look at her response to James Hoffa’s vile remarks on Labor Day, and Barack Obama’s agreeable silence afterward. She didn’t just run to a camera and express her outrage. She wrote a very detailed, thoughtful response, as constructive as it was fiery, and posted it in the wee hours of the morning. Did you see anything like that from the declared GOP presidential candidates? Why not?”

Exactly. Of all the candidates or "interested candidates," she has the best political instincts, and keeps tight rhetorical timelines, though Christie may come close. Maybe Perry will show himself to have a lot in this category. I haven't seen it yet, but Perry is brand new in my universe. I'm am completely willing and happy to be impressed. Bring it, Rick.

92 posted on 09/07/2011 11:26:58 AM PDT by cookcounty ("I love loving him," --brilliant Matha's Vinyud liberal explaining her support for Obama)
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To: free me; onyx

Thank you. Partial attribution to Onyx...


93 posted on 09/07/2011 11:27:09 AM PDT by gov_bean_ counter
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To: Brices Crossroads; Diogenesis; South40; RED SOUTH
These are the people like Brices, Diogenesis, South40, Red South, et al.

See #88 above if you want to see a PDS'er whining about you.

94 posted on 09/07/2011 11:27:12 AM PDT by Virginia Ridgerunner (Sarah Palin has crossed the Rubicon!)
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To: CA Conservative

How utterly sad that you let the actions and words of others control your own decisions.


95 posted on 09/07/2011 11:28:17 AM PDT by rintense (Polls are for strippers and cross country skiing. ~ Sarah Palin, 9.3.11)
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To: CA Conservative

and if she wins the nomination I will sit the election out. And it is because I don’t want her supporters anywhere near the levers of power. If this is the type of supporter she inspires, then that says a lot of negative things about her candidacy as well.
______________________________________________________________

You would rather Obama’s supporters?

Says a lot about you.


96 posted on 09/07/2011 11:28:17 AM PDT by free me (Sarah Palin 2012 - GAME ON!!)
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To: GunRunner
A Palin supporter called me a fag and said that only homos don't support Palin.

Could you please show us the post? I'm curious to see who said such a thing.

97 posted on 09/07/2011 11:28:37 AM PDT by perfect_rovian_storm (It is terrible to contemplate how few politicians are hanged. -- G.K. Chesterton)
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To: Vermont Lt
"But at least we had the balls to ask."

That's right!!!
98 posted on 09/07/2011 11:30:36 AM PDT by Old Teufel Hunden
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To: Lakeshark
But it is over the top, even if it's interpreted as little more than a thinly-disguised personal complaint. Comparing the Palin movement to a destructive cult is not unlike medicalizing differences of opinion.

Does he really want to fall to that level?

99 posted on 09/07/2011 11:32:08 AM PDT by danielmryan
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To: WOSG

Obie’s team attacks everybody. It is all they know. Don’t think RP is special in that regard.


100 posted on 09/07/2011 11:32:12 AM PDT by gov_bean_ counter
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